n shore
up to his father's palace. Each of the Raja's seven wives had a house
to herself in his compound. He went to his mother's house and said,
"Give me your palanquin, mother, for I have brought home a most lovely
wife, and want to bring her to the palace."

At this news his mother was delighted, and she told it to the other
Ranis, and said, "My son has brought home such a lovely wife! I am so
glad! oh, I am so glad!" The youngest Rani began to cry bitterly. "My
son," she said, "is nothing but a monkey; he will never be married; he
will never have a wife at all."

Then the palanquin was got ready, and the seven Ranis and the prince
went with it to the boat. The Princess Jahuran came on land with her
monkey, and when the Ranis saw her, they all cried, "How lovely she
is! how beautiful!" And the eldest Rani was gladder than ever, and the
youngest cried still more. The princess got into the palanquin with
her monkey. "What are you doing with that horrid monkey?" said the
eldest prince. "Put him out of the palanquin directly." "Indeed I will
not," said the princess. "He is my husband, and I love him." "What!"
cried all the Ranis, "are you married to that monkey?" "Yes," said the
princess. "Then get out of my palanquin at once," said the eldest
Rani. "You shall not ride in my palanquin with that nasty monkey." The
youngest Rani was very glad her son had such a beautiful wife. So the
princess got out, and took her monkey in her arms and walked with him
to the youngest Rani's house, and there they all lived for some time.
Now the little Rani did not know her son was really a beautiful man,
for the princess never told her, as her husband had forbidden her to
tell any one.

One evening Jabhu Raja's servants had a grand nautch in the Raja's
compound, and the Raja and his sons and the neighbouring Rajas all
came to see it. Prince Monkey said to his wife, "I, too, will go and
see this nautch." So he took off his monkey-skin, folded it up and
laid it under her pillow. Then he put on the clothes God had sent him
from heaven the last time he threw the ball, and which he had not
laid on his horse's back when he put his monkey-skin on again, and
when he came among all the Rajas and people who were looking on at the
nautch, they all exclaimed, "Who is that? Who can it be?" He was very
handsome, and he had beautiful hair all gold. When he had stayed some
time, Prince Monkey went quickly back to his wife, and in the morning
he put o